


It's Complicated

by MatildaKeeven



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angus McDonald deserves the world, Complicated Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Fluff, I just fuckin love Taagnus, M/M, Magnus finally gets his dog(s), Nothing against Kravitz, and Taako is prepared to give it to him, was not originally supposed to be taagnus but it just sort of ended up here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21567097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MatildaKeeven/pseuds/MatildaKeeven
Summary: “I just mean,” Taako continued, turning back to the stove, “You’ve still got a long ways to go in the ol’ magic department. And Istus knows I’m not hiking to some gods-forsaken orphanage just for that, you dig? It’d be way more convenient if you nabbed my spare room.”Fuck. Shit. What was he doing? Istus fucking bless.Angus stared at him, still. “Your spare room,” he repeated.Or, Taako accidentally adopts a boy, buys a house, and has to work out feelings old and new. Maybe dogs aren't quite so awful after all.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Carey Fangbattle/Killian, Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides/Taako
Comments: 66
Kudos: 172





	1. Of Pancakes and Houses

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, it's my first TAZ fic! I've been reading everything the fandom has to offer for _ages_ and figured it was finally time to throw in my own two cents to this party. I also haven't sat down and written seriously for about a year now due to mental illness, but I'm back in the saddle and back on my bullshit. The point is I'm sorry if it's a little rough; I'm out of practice!
> 
> I've started on the second chapter, but I don't really have an outline or even a long-term goal for this story, so let me know any suggestions/predictions you may have! I'm happy to try to incorporate your ideas.

Getting the house had been Lup’s idea in the first place.

In the immediate aftermath of Story and Song, no one had thought much about living quarters. Taako suddenly found himself with a hundred years’ worth of memories of living with six other dunderheads, of having a _family,_ and the thought of living alone was nothing short of revolting now. Even before the IPRE, he’d had Lup, and in the worst days that followed he’d still had Sazed.

Nosiree, the solo-life wasn’t for Taako; he was just fine where he was.

And then the Bureau of Balance became the Bureau of Benevolence, and Magnus was talking about his dog school, and Davenport was already mapping out new adventures, and Merle was looking for somewhere to settle down and finally spend some time with his kids.

Lup and Barry were still on the moon, waiting for Lup’s body to finish (re)growing. Taako was probably even more anxious to have his sister corporeal again than she was; he wanted to hold her hand, braid her hair, crawl into another hidey-hole and shut out the world. He’d been cooking again, albeit with reassurance from his family and the No-Sodium Salt Shaker, and spent most mornings practicing Lup's favorite dishes. By the time she could finally taste again, they'd be perfect.

It was during one of these early mornings in the kitchen that the house was first mentioned.

“When are you getting off this thing, Ko?” Lup asked, her Mage Hand flicking pancake batter in his direction.

Taako grumbled and wiped his cheek. “What d’ya mean?”

Lup shrugged as best she could as an incorporeal robed skeleton. “I mean, don’t let me put words in your mouth, but I figured you’d be the first to yeet off this fake-ass moon for, like, greener pastures? I didn’t expect you to stick around with- well, with Creesh…” She trailed off.

Barry glanced at Taako over the rim of his mug; the steam fogged up his glasses.

Taako swallowed hard and forced a dumb grin, the familiar mask coming easily even as his sister’s face fell. “Haven’t really thought about it. I’m not the type for the picket fence, am I?” He flipped a pancake and watched as another started to go brown around the edges.

“You could be,” Lup argued. “I mean, if you want to. Barold and I still have a while up here while my body bakes, but we always talked about it on the Starblaster - roomies for life, right? We can still do that. Ask Mags to join, too, make it a whole fuckin’ party.”

Taako didn’t quite know what to say. He wanted to say yes - is screaming inside, “yes!” - but his mouth isn’t quite cooperating.

Luckily, he was saved from having to answer when the world’s greatest detective bounced into the kitchen, a book in his hand.

“Candlenights come early, Ango?” Taako asked with a dry smile - this one came easier, fit on his face a bit looser.

Angus beamed as he was handed a plate of pancakes carefully cut up into smaller bites more appropriate for flesh boys. Lup and Barry watched him, but Taako refused to meet their gaze.

Angus snagged a fork from the drawer and sat at the island. “Close enough, sir! Captain Davenport was cleaning out his room and found some stuff from your old ship. And, look, he told me I could keep this!” He reached in his pocket and pulled out an elegant black fountain pen with a golden nib.

Taako had seen that pen every day for a century straight, always clutched in a dark, slender hand flying furiously across a journal. Somehow, even as his heart clenched, he couldn’t help but feel a small swell of warmth; maybe it was poetic, that old pen of Luce’s getting passed on to someone with the time and the care it deserved.

Taako didn’t tell Angus this. Instead, he snorted and mussed his curls, “Sweet, little dude. Gonna crack some cases with that thing, hm?”

Angus straightened his glasses, beaming. “Hopefully, sir! It’ll be a little bit harder now, but I’m sure I’ll manage something!”

Barry frowned. “Harder? It’ll be a lot easier now, won’t it? With your name attached to all this,” he said, waving a hand vaguely around them. _Saving the universe_ , Taako clarified in his head and turned back to his stove.

Lup hovered over her husband. “Yeah, dude. The militia’s gonna be knocking down your door soon enough.”

Angus looked positively starstruck to be addressed directly by Lup and Barry; Taako didn’t bother to hide the roll of his eyes, but Angus was unbothered.

“That’s true, Mr. and Mrs. Bluejeans! It’s not as much the finding cases bit that’ll be hard,” he said. “But I’ve been in orphanages before and they’re not usually too happy with me doing my detective work - sir?”

Taako dropped his spatula but made no move to pick it up, just stared at Angus with horror he couldn’t disguise as meer aloofness. After a moment, he shook his head and forced a smile. “W-what’s this about an orphanage, pumpkin?”

Angus hesitated, looking between the three adults as though unsure whether he should continue. “Sorry, I just - when I leave the moon base, I’ll be sent to the Neverwinter Orphanage. I’ve got no family left, so… it’s okay!” He added hastily. “I’m not upset! They’re a bit crowded now, but we get our own beds, and three meals a day. Plus I’m starting at Dr. Miller’s school in a few months, so I’ll be just fine!”

Taako bent to brush the curls out of Angus’s eyes. “Who told you that you were going there, Ango?”

_Surely Lucretia, even after everything, hadn’t sunk so low…_

Angus blinked. “Well, no one, but - I only got brought up here as a Seeker. Now that there’s no more relics to Seek, they don’t really need me. Who else would I go with?” His eyes widened and he clapped his hands over his mouth. “Oh, dear, that sounded awfully ungrateful, didn’t it? I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean -”

Lup cut him off. “No, it didn’t. We’re not, like, mad, little dude. We just… well, Koko and I have spent our fair share of time in those shitholes.”

Taako’s mind, meanwhile, was reeling with those exact memories. Shoved into threadbare cots with a single moth-eaten blanket each; going days without anything but tap water and stale bread for a “meal”; sharp thwacks of a ruler leaving blue and black splotches across their knees and knuckles; daily scrubs in freezing water with lye soap - thirty seconds per kid, then tossed out with a rag to dry off.

“Sir?”

Taako blinked, ripped from his memories to find a teary-eyed Angus wringing his hands in front of him.

“I’m sorry, sir, I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” he fretted.

Taako’s chest tightened with _something_ , some overwhelming urge to bundle this kid up and whisk him away somewhere safe and far away, somewhere the world couldn’t hurt him like it seemed to love doing to everyone Taako ~~loved~~ cared about.

“I don’t think that’s gonna work, Ango,” Taako said instead.

“I- sir?” Angus cocked his head like a lost puppy. Lup and Barry stared at Taako, too.

“I just mean,” Taako continued, turning back to the stove. “You’ve still got a long ways to go in the ol’ magic department. Baller Mage Hand, sure, but I don’t plan on quitting on you ‘til you can hold your own against yours truly. And Istus knows I’m not hiking to some gods-forsaken orphanage just for _that_ , you dig? It’d be way more convenient if you nabbed my spare room.”

_Fuck. Shit. What was he doing? Istus fucking bless._

Angus stared at him, still. “Your spare room,” he repeated.

Taako shrugged. “Yeah. I’m still looking at places, but it’ll definitely have at least a couple beds. Me, Maggie, these two dunces,” he waved a hand in the direction of Lup and Barry, who were beaming by this point, “Plus all the jackasses who’ll pop in to visit. We’ve collected a bunch, you know? There’ll definitely be room for you at Casa del Taako. If- if you want it.”

Angus was quiet for a long moment, so long that Taako started to wonder if his heart was going to beat out of his ribcage, which would frankly be a pretty lame death compared to all his others-

“I’d like that quite a lot, sir,” Angus finally managed to say, sounding suspiciously like there was something in his throat but wearing a broad smile anyway.

“Fuck yeah. And no ‘sir’s. We’re past that,” he added. “It’s Taako.”

“Taako,” Angus agreed, taking a bite of his pancakes.


	2. Of Ravioli and Late-Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now some Taagnus! Not sure if I love how this chapter ended up, but I'm excited for where the story as a whole is headed - and so appreciative of the very nice feedback left on chapter 1!  
> I wanted to get this part out quick since chapter 3 will probably take much longer. I'm home for Thanksgiving now, but will be back at college on Sunday for 3 weeks of some serious end-of-semester grind before the holidays. I'll keep working on the story, maybe actually outline ( _gasp!_ ), but it might be a while before I can post.  
> Hope you enjoy!

It was three in the morning on the moon, and Taako couldn’t sleep.

To be fair, this wasn’t altogether abnormal. He’d had night terrors basically since his baby-est days, throughout the century on the Starblaster, hell, even on the road with _Sizzle it Up!_ And in the two weeks since Story and Song, they were back with a renewed vigor to make him as miserable as possible.

Lup was still bewildered at _why_ Taako slept in the first place; after all, he could Meditate for an hour or two and be back to full energy. He didn’t know how to tell her that after twelve years, it was part of him, part of making the numb go away; the longer his eyes were closed, the less time he had to spend with them open. Instead, he told her that being Voidfished took a lot out of a guy, and to go take a float while he took a nap.

Tonight, Taako wished it were the nightmares keeping him awake. Those, he was used to. He could deal with them, had one hundred and fifty years of experience dealing with them. They weren’t exactly _fun_ , but they were old news.

What he wasn’t used to was staring at the ceiling for nearly - he glanced at the clock - four hours without his eyes so much as drooping. This was bullshit, he was _exhausted_ ; Merle had conned him and Magnus into helping move all his shit from the dorm to the atrium to be loaded into a cannon and shot down to the small beach cottage Merle had found for himself. Taako didn’t _do_ manual labor, especially not for free- “out of the goodness of his heart,” what kind of bullshit is that? He’d been so relieved when they were finally done that he didn’t even bother with a proper dinner, just inhaled a Fantasy Lean Cuisine ( _shudder_ ) and threw on pajamas. But here he was, four hours later and still wide awake for some godforsaken reason.

“Fuck this,” he finally said to his empty room, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

He was already making up a story when he stepped out to the common room, but the only inhabitant was Angus, still fast asleep in the blanket-nest where he'd plopped after dinner.

Since Story and Song, Barry had been crashing on the couch in their suite. Not needing sleep herself, Lup had grown bored, and made a bad habit of wandering floating around and scaring the shit out of whichever Tres Horny Bois was awake and “primed for spookin.’” Luckily, while moving Merle’s shit, they’d managed to find an empty suite down the hall so Barry wasn’t stuck on their couch for all eternity; Lup had most likely followed him. Good, no explaining himself.

He felt the slightest twinge of guilt, something slimy in the pit of his stomach for keeping something, _anything_ from his sister, but.

Fuck, it was three in the morning on the moon, and Taako couldn’t sleep.

He re-tucked Angus’s blankets to his shoulders and waited a moment, just to be sure his slow, even breaths didn’t falter, then grabbed his hat and shut the door behind him.

He wandered aimlessly across the quad, wishing idly that he still had his Umbrastaff to swing around his wrist while he walked. (Having a sister was better, but still.) He considered going to the cafeteria, which was surely empty but would at least have snacks. Or maybe he’d head to the training facility; he and Magnus made some striking effigies resembling Lucas Miller a few weeks ago, and he never minded some practice with Fireball-

“Taako?”

Taako nearly jumped out of his skin but already had his wand drawn, whirling around to find a large body blocking any chance of his escape,

Magnus frowned at him- a little confused, a lot concerned. “What are you doing? It’s, like, two a.m.”

“Three.”

“Huh?”

Taako cleared his throat. “It’s three a.m.”

Magnus looked at him with a knowing sort of fondness, but he didn’t mention what he was obviously thinking. Instead, he slung a warm, heavy arm over Taako’s shoulders and started leading him to the cafeteria. “C’mon, I’m starving. Think you can still make that toasted ravioli thing you and Lup invented back in Cycle 38?”

Not a half-hour later, Magnus and Taako were both sitting on the counter in the cafeteria kitchen, each with a bowl full of steaming, breaded pasta drenched in marinara sauce.

“Gods, this is so good,” Magnus practically moaned as he shoveled another forkful into his mouth. “I think that I- well. Hm.”

Taako glanced sideways at him. “What?”

Magnus grinned sheepishly. “I, uh, was gonna say I forgot how good a cook you are, but…” He trailed off.

“You’re having a lot of issues remembering stuff lately, Mags. Might want to get that checked out,” Taako quipped, taking a bite.

Magnus’s laugh rattled around the kitchen, loud and warm and boisterous, and filled Taako with some warm, foreign feeling he elected to ignore.

“So, uh, what’s the deal with this dog school?” Taako asked instead, poking a piece of ravioli with his fork. “You got any details on that plan yet?”

Magnus looked at him strangely. “Why do you ask? Look, if you’re asking me to try training Merle again, I think we have to accept that some things just can’t be trained. I think that’s just what he’s like at this point-” 

Taako was already waving that thought off with an idle hand. “No, no, not that. I’m, like, resigned to him as a person now. No, I was just wondering if you had, say, a place to set up shop? Maybe a general locale in mind?” He asked, trying to seem casual as he stood to put his bowl in the sink.

Magnus sighed. “Not really. Not yet, anyway. It’s kinda hard, looking for a new place when it feels like I’ve finally found a home up here,” he said, his smile wistful - pained, even.

“What if I had a place in mind?” Taako asked, hesitant. “To suggest.”

Magnus laughed. “Wait, what? Why’d you say that so ominously?”

Taako waved him off. “Stylistic choice. Gotta stay true to my brand. Anyway, it’s not set in stone yet, ‘cause Lup’s body is still buffering, but we’re gonna start looking around for a place? Me, Lup, Barry, and Angus,” he clarified, tap-tap-tapping his knee in a nervous rhythm. “You’d… we’d be glad to have you, if you wanna join in on the roomie situation.”

“Really?” Magnus blinked. “But you hate dogs.”

“But I like you,” Taako’s mouth replied before his head could catch up to it. He managed to keep himself from clapping a hand over his mouth, but his face suddenly felt very warm, and he wished yet again for his Umbrastaff so he could Magic Missile himself into the void.

Magnus didn’t seem bothered, though. In fact, he beamed. “Aw, you like me? That’s so sweet!”

Taako ducked his head to hide his blush. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get too excited. Are you in or not?”

“Definitely! I’ll start looking in the morning! Oh, this is perfect. I can be like the gritty construction guy and you’re the prissy real estate agent, but we’re like a kick-ass super-cool tag-team duo,” Magnus gushed. “We can be like those Fantasy Property Brothers!”

Taako listened to him ramble excitedly about floorplans, and fixer-uppers, and making sure the house wasn’t too far from Angus’s school so he could visit often. The wide smile on his face and the sparkle in his eyes weren’t new in any way, but tonight Taako _noticed_ them. He couldn’t take his eyes off of them. It wasn’t until after they put away their dishes, after Magnus walked him back to the dorm and clapped him on the shoulder in farewell, after Taako flopped into bed and snuggled under his blankets did he realize, did he snap his eyes open, sit straight up in bed, and mutter a violent “ _fuck._ ”

Taako was in love with Magnus Burnsides.


	3. Of House Hunting and House Finding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I survived a whole semester of college, so we're celebrating with a new chapter! Thanks so much for the feedback so far, it's been so nice reading such kind comments.  
> Whatever you celebrate, I hope you have a very lovely holiday season, and enjoy the chapter!

Magnus, as it turned out, knew what he was doing - more than Taako did, anyway. They spent a week doing nothing but house-hunting, and Taako decided he much preferred Fantasy HGTV to the real thing. After just a day, his head was spinning with floor plans and down payments and a to-do list he couldn’t see the end of.

Magnus, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. Even if he seemed to focus on furniture or duck-whittling(?), anything he could do with his hands was a thrill for him. He was like a kid on Candlenights, rambling the whole way back to the moon base about ideas for a new railing here or a hand-carved dresser there.

To be fair, Taako did like seeing the big oaf have his fun. Even if it was stressful as fuck, it was a fresh start. Their new adventure, in a sense, and gods knew they deserved to sit back and enjoy that.

Besides, the more he threw himself into the house hunt, the less he could focus on Magnus’s grin, Magnus’s arms, Magnus’s back, Magnus’s eyes, Magnus’s _everything._

They hashed it out late into the nights, trying to pick between this neighborhood or that one, weighing the benefits of different layouts, dragging whatever dipshit designed this kitchen because _seriously? Those cabinets with_ that _backsplash?_

Okay, granted, that part was mostly Taako.

In the end, though, it didn’t end up mattering. They knew the house when they saw it.

The bungalow on the edge of Neverwinter had been vacant for years, according to the papers from the bank, but it wasn’t decrepit - just dusty. If anything, it was quaint- welcoming, even. The outside was nothing extravagant, of course, but the blue paint and white trim were cute and homey.

The yard was massive, and Taako glanced warily at Magnus only to find him practically vibrating with excitement - doubtlessly imaging whole hordes of dogs chasing each other through the grass. Taako’s mind, against his will, drifted to Angus, who’d mentioned joining the soccer team at Nerdlord’s school. Kids needed space to run around, right? And grass? He was pretty sure grass mattered, too.

There was a sizeable porch, too, and Taako heard Magnus mutter something about rocking chairs; somehow, Taako couldn’t bring himself to roll his eyes.

Inside was the kitchen Taako wanted (the only item on his list, actually), with dark mahogany cabinets and a _to-die-for_ island opposite a large stone fireplace. The rest of the bottom floor wasn’t huge, but big enough for a sturdy dinner table and plenty of seating to accommodate their ridiculously-large family. The windows were large, too, showing another wide expanse of yard in the back that met a thick wood a half mile from the door.

The upstairs was fairly nondescript, really just a long hallway that split into four bedrooms, but at least there was a small bathroom for each.

Taako was about to complain about the lack of a spare bedroom, but Magnus was already opening his mouth.

“Hey, we’ve still got a guest room for when people wanna visit! Isn’t that perfect, Taako?”

Taako found himself frozen, tongue-tied as a warm blush crept up his face. After an eternity of a moment - just as Magnus’s expression shifted from excitement to confusion, then suddenly to something akin to horror - Taako forced his normal, dopey grin. The perfect mask.

“Hell, yeah, bunk-buddies for life. Perfect, kemosabe. And we can invite Merle and Pringles over for an OG roomies’ slumber party,” he said.

Magnus relaxed back into a smile, but it was still hesitant, even nervous. Thankfully, Taako was rescued from the silence by a certain boy detective who bounded in, breathless and beaming.

“Sir - Taako! Did you see the backyard? It’s huge!” He gushed. “There’s so much room for dogs!”

Magnus grinned at him, too, that smug bastard.

“Nope! No. Uh-uh.” Taako swooped Angus up and deposited him several feet away from Magnus. “I’m not letting you brainwash _my_ magic boy into your barbaric, ruffian ways.”

“You already _agreed_ to the dogs,” Magnus sang, cheerful as ever.

Angus tugged at Taako’s hand, his shit-eating grin matching Magnus’s perfectly. “Yeah, Taako! You get your kitchen, so Magnus gets his dogs!”

Taako smushed Angus’s cheeks between his palms with a sigh. “Angus. Pumpkin. The kitchen is a communal gift. I get to cook in it, and you all get to not starve. It’s, like, symbiotic. But dogs? What do we get from letting Mags have a bunch of mutts running around?”

“They’re _dogs_ ,” Angus said, as though Taako didn’t know this. “You can- well.” He looked up at Magnus. “Do we get to play with them?”

“You get to play with them.”

Angus turned back to Taako. “We get to play with them! And pet them! And cuddle them! Taako, they’re _dogs_.”

Taako stared at his beautiful magic boy, then chanced a peek at Magnus, who was looking at Angus like he might cry from pride.

He sighed heavily and threw his hands up. “Fine. The dogs are chill or whatever. Just keep ‘em away from my shit.”

Taako buried his face in his palms as Angus and Magnus whooped and cheered.

_Fuck_ . He was going soft for _two_ dipshits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr @hellabifurious.


	4. Of Tulle Skirts and Fantasy Marie Kondo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's pretty heavy on dialogue, which I try to avoid, but I needed to get this scene in some way or another. I also didn't have a ton of time to proofread, so apologies for any typos lol.  
> Hope you enjoy!

“Tulle  _ and _ velvet?  _ Together? _ ” Lup gagged and threw the offending skirt at Taako’s face. “Grossarooni.”

Taako huffed and threw it onto the growing pile of sloppily-folded clothes on his bed. “Okay, uh, first of all - have you seen this ass? I make it work. So jot that down. Secondly, this would go a lot faster if you helped, you know.”

Lup stuck her tongue out. “I’m  _ supervising. _ That counts as helping! And, hey, you’ve got Angus.”

The boy detective in question beamed at her from his spot on the shag carpet. “Yep! I didn’t think moving would be all that fun,” he said as he plucked the skirt from Taako’s bed, folded it carefully, and set it in the significantly neater pile beside him. “But I do like making stuff all neat and tidy!”

“Oh my gods, have you seen Fantasy Marie Kondo? Barry finally convinced me to watch it with him and I’m  _ obsessed _ -”

“I love her! Have you seen the one where she cleans up that pub in Thornsnare?”

“With the really cute old tiefling couple, yes! Ooh, and what about the one in Meadowsbrook-”

“The half-orc woman! Oh, that episode was  _ brilliant _ -”

The two of them continued to rattle on about the latest season, Angus’s folding now forgotten and Taako’s eye-roll ignored.

Taako, meanwhile, went back to his closet, where he began to half-heartedly rifle through piles of clothes and various souvenirs he’d picked up during their adventures. He grabbed a few shirts at random and turned to put them in a box, but a small weight hidden between the fabric fell to the floor with a thud. At his feet laid a small wooden box.

_ “Night, you two,” Merle said through a wide yawn. “Sleep tight, may Pan bless you, all that shit.” _

_ When Merle’s door had slammed shut behind him, Taako made to follow his example. The Director had been working them to the bone for months, but their latest escapade to save Nerdlord’s ass was something else entirely. Tonight, all he wanted to do was kick off his shoes, collapse in bed, and never get up. Just as he turned to go, however, a large, calloused hand wrapped loosely around his wrist and held him back. _

_ Magnus looked dead on his feet, but his smile was cheerful as ever. His free hand held a small brown bag, plain but for the purple bow stuck haphazardly on the side. “I, uh- well, I was gonna give you this during Candlenights, but there were so many people at the party, and then we got called off to the mission, and there wasn’t ever a really good time to-” He cut himself off, shook his head, and held out the bag with a sheepish grin. “Happy Candlenights, Taako.” _

_ Taako stared at him for a moment, but with a nod of encouragement, took the bag and peered inside. The box he pulled out was small, but clearly made with painstaking skill; the wood was a gorgeous, rich shade of cherry, the lid outfitted with a delicate god hinge, and the top carved to depict a surprisingly realistic mongoose. Taako hesitated a moment, then flipped the lid open to find a scrap of parchment lying delicately on a dark felt cushion. On it, a garish cartoon, presumably of Magnus, boasted weirdly large hands and eager eyes under a banner advertising “one free back-rub” in magenta crayon. _

_ Magnus, try as he might, couldn’t hold in his muffled giggles, and after a second, neither could Taako. They slid to the floor, clutching their stomachs as they practically sobbed with laughter, leaning on one another for support. They could hear Merle yelling at them to shut up, but that only made them laugh harder. _

_ “Happy Candlenights, Maggie,” Taako finally said, his whole face sore from grinning. After a moment of hesitation, he gave his best friend a quick peck on the cheek and climbed to his feet. “Sleep tight.” _

Taako felt the heat rising to his face, and quickly (but carefully) re-wrapped the box in a shirt and tucked it in with the rest of his clothes. Angus and Lup didn’t seem to notice; they were still ranting about how this season was “ _ so _ much better than the first, it’s practically criminal.”

Taako cleared his throat loudly. “Okay, that’s enough of this best buddy bullshit. Y’all can fawn over your second favorite TV personality after you’re done helping your first. Pumpkin, go get some more boxes from the hall closet.”

Angus didn’t seem upset at being interrupted or ordered around. Rather, he jumped up, accepted Lup’s tousling his curls with a small blush, and scurried out.

Taako threw the door shut behind Angus with a lazy wave of his hand and flopped down in the chair next to his sister’s. “Jeezy Creezy, I’m tired. We need mimosas or something after this.” He glanced over at his sister to find her watching him with an eyebrow raised, her lips quirked upwards. “What’s your deal?”

Lup laughed. “Taako, come  _ on. _ ”

“What do you mean ‘come on’?” He huffed. He waved his hand again and his Stone of Farspeech flew into his waiting palm. “You think we can talk Barry into grabbing food while he’s planetside? I’m way too tired to cook.”

Lup’s stare turned more intense- hurt, even, which sent a spike of fear through Taako’s stomach. “Are you seriously not gonna talk to me about this? I’ve been watching you dance yourself in circles since I got out of that damn umbrella.” Her voice softened. “I know how you feel about him.”

Taako glared at her, even if he could feel his cheeks going red. “Wha- no, you don’t. I mean- shut up. I don’t feel anything for anyone, you know that.”

“You and I both know that’s some Grade A-certified bullshit. I’ve seen how you act around him,” she said seriously. “I just don’t get why you refuse to  _ do _ anything about it. You know he doesn’t have that many people looking out for him.”

Okay, well, that wasn’t true. Taako frowned and ticked through a mental list of everyone who cared about Magnus- which was basically everyone he knew. The Birds had each other, obviously, and everyone in the BOB loved Magnus; hell, it felt like everyone would take a bullet for the guy five minutes after meeting him.

Taako shrugged, laughing a bit. “I mean, he’s not looking for a babysitter, Lup. He’s a big boy.”

Lup frowned. “He seems like he can take care of himself, but he shouldn’t have to do that alone. You know that better than anyone, Koko,” she said. “Everyone knows he cares about you. Hell, he looks at you like you hung the moon. And I know you care about him. Look, I’m not saying you’ve gotta change your whole life over this. Just… well, I think it’d mean a lot to him if you let him know you gave a ahit about him.”

“Lup, he’s not that obsessed with me!” Taako said, throwing his hands up. “Do I care about him? Fine, yes! Are you happy now? Do I wish he felt the same way? Yeah, maybe, but it’s not gonna happen, so let it  _ go _ !”

“What are you  _ talking _ about? He’s over here all the time, trailing after you like a puppy!”

Taako was about to rip his hair out. “Lup, he  _ lives here _ .”

Lup suddenly went very still, her eyes as wide as saucers. “You’re talking about Magnus.”

“Yes! Of  _ course _ , I’m talking about- wait, what?” He narrowed his eyes. “Who were you talking about?”

She ignored this question, and kept staring at him. “You’re in love with Magnus. Taako, holy  _ shit. _ ”

Taako was sure his face had never been so red in his life. “Okay, yeah, we covered that, whatever- who were you talking about, Lup?”

“Were you not gonna tell me about that? Dude!”

“I couldn’t find any of the big ones, but I figured you could just use Enlarge-” Angus stopped abruptly, hands full of folded-up cardboard boxes, and looked between the twins worriedly. “Sorry, um, I can go…?”

Taako took a deep breath and managed a smile to send in Angus’s direction. “No worries, bubeleh,” he said, standing up and brushing off his jeans. “Hey, we haven’t had a magic lesson in a couple days. Enlarge is only 2nd level. Wanna see if you can manage it?”

Angus hesitated. Taako watched him glance over at Lup, who gave him a reassuring smile, then back at Taako. Finally, he brightened, and bounded over to set the boxes on Taako’s bed. “Okay! How does it work?”

As Taako explained the spell components, Angus nodding along with rapt attention, he caught Lup’s eyes. His sister waggled her eyebrows with a lopsided grin, even as Taako cast a silent Mage Hand to flip her off behind Angus’s head.


	5. Of Updates and Fic Recs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **UPDATE**

Hail and well met, my dudes!

If you clicked on this, you were probably hoping for a 5th chapter, but don't lose hope! That's coming soon!

I could ramble about this story and why I've been MIA for _ages_ , but I don't wanna waste y'all's time if it's not with actual fic. In short, I've been musing on this fic literally every day since the last time I updated it. It's never been my intention to abandon it, and that's not happening! I just had an absolutely wild semester and needed a hot sec to organize personal stuff. 

I'm currently in the throes of finals week; my last exam is Friday (5/8), and then I'm on summer vacation! I've been itching to get back to writing this, so much so that I took a break from cramming this weekend to actually organize 5 months' worth of musings into a real outline. That's right, I've got this whole story planned out from beginning to end! I don't know exactly when the real chapter 5 will be posted, but it'll be within the next 2 weeks.

Before I hop off, I do wanna give my utmost thanks to everyone who's dropped kudos/comments/bookmarks on this fic. They've given me the encouragement to come back to this fic now that I have time for it, which I appreciate immensely. I have been lurking in the TAZ tags this whole time, and I have to give an extra shout-out/rec to [SparklingOrange](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparklingOrange/pseuds/SparklingOrange), whose fic ([Repression is a slippery slope that leads to emotions](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23160355/chapters/55432138)) is easily one of the best I've read in _months_ , if not, like, ever? Obviously I'm a hardcore fan of the Taako & Angus friendship trope, so if you are, too, check that story out for sure! (They've also left very nice comments on this fic, which made me have an embarrassingly nerdy freak-out when I realized who it was.)

That's all for now! Keep an eye out for the real chapter 5 in the next few weeks. For those also trudging through exam season, best of luck to you, and I hope you are all staying safe and healthy!

Best wishes!

Tilly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr @hellabifurious


	6. Of Rocking Chairs and Moving Boxes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one ended up longer than I expected and a bit more dialogue-heavy than I prefer, but I’m just glad to be able to post a finished chapter. Lemme know your thoughts in the comments! Massive thanks to everyone who has already kudos-ed/bookmarked/commented. Enjoy!

Moving Day might’ve been a much more pleasant event if it was actually Moving Afternoon. Even Moving Midday would’ve been acceptable. Hell, Moving Any Time After Bumfuck in the Morning.

Yet here Taako was, standing in his new yard in front of a mountain of half-assembled furniture and moving boxes at precisely bumfuck in the morning. Fuck. This.

“You know, if you stare at it a little longer, it’ll probably burst into flames. Then you won’t have to carry any of it,” a voice said behind him.

Taako rolled his eyes and turned to huff at Magnus. _Shit, smiling like that should be illegal this early_ , he nearly said aloud. “All those muscles of yours and you still expect me to do the heavy lifting around here?” He said instead.

Magnus snorted and stepped around him to rifle through some of the boxes, and as he leaned over, his shirt rode up just enough to expose tanned skin–

Taako looked away quickly, his face warm, trying to play it off by instead turning to do a critical once-over of the house. Magnus had been coming planet-side almost daily to do repairs, and Taako had to admit that it showed. The trim was neatly repainted, all the rotted wood replaced, and the porch proudly sported a new rocking chair. Even without daylight to properly illuminate it, the house looked—

Well, like a home.

“It’s nice, right? Are you excited?”

Taako glanced at Magnus, who wasn’t looking at the house but at him. He briefly considered the usual hard-ass routine, lying and whining about all the work.

But he looked at the house and imagined it, _really_ imagined it. He imagined him and Lup making pot brownies in the kitchen, and Barry doing his weird dead-person science in the basement, and Magnus training his dogs out back, and Angus— _gods_ , Angus growing up in the home Taako never got. That’s what every kid deserved, wasn't it?

He looked back at Magnus and knew he couldn’t lie, not to Magnus, who was smiling at him so expectantly, the first rays of the morning sun peeking over the horizon to make his eyes sparkle and his face glow.

“Yeah, Maggie,” Taako said finally, blowing out a breath. “I’m excited.”

Magnus beamed and shoved a box into his arms. “Me, too! Now take that to the kitchen. I’m pretty sure it’s pots and pans.”

Taako resisted the urge to roll his eyes again but took his sweet time sauntering up the porch steps and down the hallway until he reached the kitchen.

All the cupboards were open and Lup was humming as she sent levitating plates, cups, and silverware flying gracefully to their proper places. Taako narrowly dodged a gravy boat as it zoomed into the cabinet by his head.

“Hey, watch the money-maker!” He set the box on the counter with a huff. “You realize you could go help by levitating furniture or something instead of, you know, some cups?”

Lup sent a plate careening onto the shelf with a clatter. “So could you!” She shot him a crooked, skeletal grin.

Taako opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted by Angus’s yelp as he stumbled through the door with a large glass platter in his hands. Taako instinctively lurched forward to grab his shoulders and steady him, then tucked the tray onto a high shelf.

“No running with the Fantasy Williams-Sonoma!” He said firmly, but the scold sounded weird, too _stern_ to have come out of _his_ mouth. “That’s how Magnus got all those scars of his, you know," he added for good measure.

Angus smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, but I’m not sure that’s—never mind. I was running because they sent me to tell you that the others are here!” He exclaimed, bouncing on his toes.

“Already?” Lup shut all the cabinets with a wave of her hand and did an excited little spin in the air. “What are we waiting for then?”

Taako followed at a more leisure pace. By the time he reached the porch steps, Lup was already across the yard, tackling Lucretia into a semi-corporal hug that left them both in a laughing heap in the dirt. Magnus, likewise, had dragged Avi, Carey, and Killian in for bear hugs, and Barry was struggling to avoid the same fate while Merle and Davenport wisely watched from the sidelines.

Angus tugged on his sleeve. “It’s exciting, right, Taako?”

Taako rolled his eyes. “Jeezy Creezy, you and Burnsides—puppies, both of you,” he said, tweaking Angus’s nose. “C’mon. Moving all this shit is perfect Levitate practice.”

* * *

When they’d announced their plan to move planetside, basically everyone volunteered to come down and help. They were glad for the help, too. Taako, Magnus, and Angus had been living in the Bureau dorms for just over a year, but they were surprised at how much stuff they’d managed to accumulate in that time.

(Well, Angus wasn’t. He had three boxes neatly labeled “clothes,” “books,” and “miscellaneous.” Magnus, on the other hand, had three boxes for cool rocks alone, and Taako wasn’t sure he could spell “miscellaneous.”)

Lup didn’t have a body, much less belongings, but Barry had a decade’s worth of books, maps, and random science-y stuff. Even with the five of them, they were grateful for any extra hands willing to help.

It was decided almost immediately that Magnus would direct the heavy lifting—bed frames, wardrobes, and the like—with Killian helping and Lup on Levitation back-up. Barry’s science stuff was a bit more delicate (“Prone to lethal explosions, you mean?” Taako asked dryly) so he would handle that with Avi and Carey. Lucretia was fittingly put on book duty since they’d accumulated quite a collection, and Merle and Davenport were in charge of smaller boxes. Taako, even though he’d complained about the heavy lifting all day, had no shortage of spell slots; nevertheless, he knew the layout of the house best, so he was directing the process.

After all the roles had been sorted out and everyone hurried to do their job, Angus appeared at Taako’s side looking a bit lost.

Taako ruffled his curls. “Ango, how about you go help Director Know-It-All shelve books? Couple of nerds like you should be able to do that in no time. You can even be in charge of my cookbooks, okay?”

Angus brightened, then paused. “Do you want them organized alphabetically or categorically?”

“Angus, I’m bestowing this very important responsibility on you,” Taako said seriously. “Your artistic and organizational liberty reign supreme, got it?”

“Yes, sir!” He beamed and scurried off before Taako could begin to regret it.

He rolled his eyes fondly and straightened up. He figured he should go check the progress on the box-mountain in the yard, but he didn’t make it two steps out the front door before he ran headfirst—well, knees-first into Merle.

“Damn, dude, we need to get you a bell,” Taako huffed, helping him up.

Merle rolled his eyes and brushed off his pants. “First Encyclopedia Brown, then you. What is it with you guys and bowling me over, huh? At least the kid’s excited.”

Taako snorted. “When is he not?” He leaned against the porch railing and looked across the yard, where Angus and Lucretia were eagerly rifling through a box of Barry’s textbooks. “You think this’ll be good for him, Merle?”

Merle took a seat on the porch, his feet dangling over the edge to brush lazily against the grass. “What, moving down here with you guys? Don’t be dumb, of course, it will. It’s probably gonna be weird for a bit, but you’ll all adapt.” He plucked a dandelion out of the grass and held it up to inspect.

“Yeah, but before, at the Bureau, I just taught the kid magic. Made cookies with him once or twice. I don’t know how to take care of the brat,” he said with a grimace. “I’m not a _dad_. What if I break him? Or scar him? Or- or emotionally stunt him?”

Merle was quiet for a long minute, rolling the dandelion stem between his palms.

“I think you’re overthinking this,” he said finally. He looked up, not at Taako but across the yard. Magnus and Lucretia were clapping as Angus sent a small box hovering a few feet overhead. “Listen, the kid was a Seeker. He solves murders. For Pan’s sake, he wears suspenders. Functionally, he’s more put-together than a lot of adults. He doesn’t need anyone telling him to brush his teeth or go to bed on time, you know?”

“Well, duh, but—” Taako watched Magnus hoist a giggling Angus upside-down by his ankles and fought back a smile of his own. “What does he need, then?”

Merle huffed a laugh and punched his shoulder. “Same thing you all did since the very first day on the Starblaster.”

Taako blinked.

“A _family_ , dumbass.” Merle rolled his eyes. “He might not need you folding his socks or telling him to make his bed, but he _does_ need someone putting his drawings on the fridge and asking him how school went, you know? Care about him without hiding it. Care about him on purpose.”

Taako was quiet for a long moment, leaning against the porch railing. “Thanks, Merle. That was… helpful,” he said finally. “And, just for the record, you helped make a pretty good family out of us.”

Merle turned quickly, but not before Taako saw the small smile on his face. “Just look after him, Taako. I know I don’t have to tell you to do that, but—well, he trusts you and Mags more than the rest of us, you know? Don't take that lightly.”

* * *

It was late when they finally decided to call it a day. There were still plenty of boxes to be unpacked, things to be painted, furniture to be assembled, and a million other things Taako was too tired to remember. In the meantime, however, they had beds in their rooms, food in the cupboards, and no more random crap lying in their front yard.

Even with Lup gone-ghost, she and Taako managed to fix enough dinner for everyone by sunset. Tables and chairs were in short supply, but they dug up enough pillows and blankets for everyone to lounge around the empty living room and eat together. It wasn’t until everyone had lined up and Lup started to ladle chili into bowls that Taako realized two of their party were missing.

“Have you seen Magnus?” He called over to Lup, who was handing a bowl to Avi.

She glanced around. “Not for a while. Or Angus, now that you mention it.” She frowned. “You go find them while I do this. Oh, and take that box by the door with you! It’s Angus’s grandpa’s silverware.”

Taako shrugged and grabbed the box in question, making for the hallway until a hand gently touched his shoulder.

“When we finished down here, Angus said he was going to unpack his books in his room,” Lucretia offered with a hesitant smile. “Try looking there?”

He managed a tight smile of his own and nodded, turning quickly back to head upstairs.

Angus’s room was the first one at the top of the landing. The door was open, so Taako didn’t bother knocking, just stomped in with the shoebox of silverware clanking. “Ango, I’ve got your grandpa’s–” He stopped abruptly, taken off-guard by the sight of a very _not_ happy boy detective and one Magnus Burnsides hastily trying to comfort him.

Angus was sat on his bed, hugging his knees to his chest. He was making a valiant effort to keep the tears at bay, but they were welling in his eyes faster than he could brush them away with his sleeve. Magnus, for his part, seemed completely out of his element, and there was poorly disguised panic in his eyes when he looked at Taako.

Taako, likewise, had no idea what was going on nor how to proceed. Every part of him was telling him to spin on his heel and get the hell out of dodge, just leave Magnus to do his Lawful Good, soft boy bullshit and comfort Angus as best he could by himself. It was _Magnus_ , after all; the guy was a born teddy bear.

Instead, Taako set the box down by the door and took a hesitant step forward. “Is it cool if I jump in?”

Magnus looked to Angus, who managed a watery laugh and nods.

Taako took that as all the permission he needed and sat cross-legged across from Angus on the bed, leaning back on his palms in a way much more casual than his hammering heart would imply. “What’s goin’ on? Who do I need to Magic Missile?” He mussed Angus’s curls for good measure.

“No one, sir,” Angus croaked. “It’s just been a bit of a long day and I’ve got quite a lot of feelings about it that aren’t so fun to discuss. ‘m sorry to be a bother.” He buried his face in his knees.

Taako looked at Magnus, who sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s– correct me if I’m wrong here, Ango, but– well, I think it’s been a while since he lived in a real house with people who really cared about him? That’s, um, a new thing for him. Uncharted territory. So I think he’s just a bit anxious about how this is gonna change things, you know?” Magnus looked at Angus with a sympathetic smile. “Does that sorta cover it?”

Angus reluctantly lifted his head to nod, still sniffling a bit.

In the pit of his stomach, Taako felt a very sharp stab of _You need to get this right_. Maybe it was the talk he had with Merle, but he knew, of all the angst he’d have to deal with from Angus in his gross, rapidly-approaching, teenaged years, this was a conversation that mattered. The pressure on his shoulders increased tenfold in response, but he mustered up courage he didn’t have and put on his usual grin.

“Well, that’s... that’s good.”

Angus blinked at him and Magnus stared at him like he’d lost his mind. Taako rather thought that was a possibility, but he continued.

“See, when I came in here to a total Bummer Fest, I thought we had, like, another interplanar, existential threat that could destroy the world on our hands. I was worried,” Taako rambled on. “But if you’re just talking about, well, feelings and stuff? We can get that handled.”

“I don’t know that you can, sir,” Angus said quietly. “I don’t even know how I feel right now. Isn’t that a prerequisite for fixing my feelings?”

Taako clucked his tongue. “It’s not _fixing_ , Ango. No wrong way to feel, so no feelings to fix, you dig?” He checked his manicure, then exhaled and put his hand back down. “What we _can_ do is fix the situation that’s making you feel shitty.”

Magnus jumped in ( _It’s about time_ , Taako wanted to groan). “So, to clarify, you’re feeling shitty because it’s a new place and a new dynamic, living with all of us. Is that right?”

“Mm-hm. I like you all very much, of course,” he hastened to say. “But it’s just… My parents were never at home, so it feels like I haven’t done this part before. The together part, I guess. The family part,” he added in a softer voice.

Taako tugged at a loose thread on the comforter, idly wound it around his finger as he thought. “I mean,” he said finally. “I spent literally a hundred years living with six other chuckle-fucks, and we stopped wanting to murder each other by Cycle 8 at the latest.”

Magnus elbowed him hard in the ribs, but Angus hiccupped a laugh. _Victory!_

“Okay, sorry. Serious. You’re a nerd, right? Let’s talk numbers.” Taako held up four fingers, waggled the first two. “Lup and Barold. They look very spooky in the Red Robe get-up, but Lup cries at sad movies and Barry can’t handle dairy. Easily charmed by nerds such as yourself. A combined 6 on the intimidation scale, at best.”

He waved his third finger to gesture at Magnus, dodging another punch. “Burnsides here. Actual bear on the outside, teddy bear on the inside. Literally cried over spilled milk at least three times. Nothing to worry about. A solid 4 intimidation.” (Magnus huffed, but didn’t protest.)

Taako’s fourth finger booped Angus on the nose. “And, saving the best for last, yours truly.” He softened his voice the slightest bit. “C’mon. Doesn’t the whole magic teacher thing give me some perks in Angus Land? I know we steal your shit and play the ‘shortstack’ card sometimes, but… you trust me, right?”

Angus nodded without any hesitation.

“And you know we wouldn’t let anything else mess with you? That’s a special Tres Horny Bois right, you know?”

Again, Angus nodded with a tiny sniffle.

Taako nudged his knee against his magic boy’s. “So how about we take this one day at a time, and when you get these gross, anxious feelings, you come to me so we can knock ‘em out together. How’s that sound, bubeleh?”

Before Taako could react, he had an armful of boy detective hugging him tight around his middle. “It sounds good,” he mumbled.

Taako generously allowed him a full three seconds before shoving him off with a dramatic shudder. “That’s enough fluffy family bullshit for the day. We’ve got a literal vat of Tía’s chili to dole out, so let’s leave the unpacking junk for later and go dig in.”

He didn’t wait for Magnus and Angus to follow him, but he didn’t need to. Angus’s hand found his, and Taako didn’t have the heart to shake him off. He remembered what Merle told him. _Care about him on purpose._

He let his magic boy lead the way downstairs to a family dinner of raucous laughter and lively story-telling. In a few minutes, Angus was laughing with everyone else at another of Davenport's tales, and every time Magnus grinned at Taako over his head, Taako told himself it was just the chili making his face warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I snuck in some references! "Fantasy Williams-Sonoma" is a reference to SparklingOrange's lovely [fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23160355/chapters/55432138), which I recommended in my last update.  
> The second one's a bit more vague, but "care about him on purpose" is a reference to one of my favorite lines in one of my favorite books ("I love him on purpose" in _Red, White, & Royal Blue_).

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @hellabifurious.


End file.
